A three-year long federal investigation found the Newark Police Department engaged in "a pattern of unconstitutional policing" that included excessive use of force and inadequate accountability, the Justice Department said. In response, the government will appoint a federal monitor.
The investigation was led by New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman and the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.
Among the report's key findings:
The study covers the 2009-2012, when U.S. Sen. Cory Booker was Mayor. In a statement, Booker said that the problems cited are "serious" and "decades-long" and "shared by cities across the country." He said, "When I was mayor, we worked with the ACLU to implement reforms that set a national model for stop-and-frisk transparency [and] emphasized police-community relations."
- 75 percent of pedestrian stop-and-frisks documented by the NPD were unconstitutional, violating citizens' First and Fourth Amendment rights. Many of the illegal stops resulted in unconstitutional arrests.
- Black residents make up 53.9 percent of Newark's population, but accounted for 85 percent of reported stop-and-frisks, and 79.3 percent of NPD arrests.
- More than 20 percent of officers' use of force was found to be unreasonable and unconstitutional.
- A pattern of theft by officers exists in the department's gang and narcotics units, where officers would routinely steal money and other belongings from those they arrest.
As mayor, Booker welcomed the DOJ's investigation into the police department's practices, calling it "free consulting," but was resistant to federal oversight. Current Mayor Ras Baraka says the city will cooperate with the monitor.
"The people of Newark deserve to be safe, and so do the thousands who come here to work, to learn, and to take advantage of all the city has to offer," said Fishman. "Today, we have the commitment of Newark's mayor and the leadership of the police department to make the department the one the city deserves."
Current Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy directed Newark's police department during most of the period covered. McCarthy has not yet responded to a request for comment.
The monitor will be appointed in September.
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Newark Police
